"Ow!" Li Tao cried out in pain, turning to glare viciously at Wang Meng.
"You damned bitch! I should've beaten you to death last night! Where did you get the nerve to kick me? You filthy-"
"Behave!" Huo Chuyun kicked Li Tao in the knee, forcing him to crash to his knees with a loud thud. "Keep spouting that crap and I'll gag that filthy mouth of yours."
"Ow, ow, my leg!" Cold sweat streamed down Li Tao's face from the pain. He took several ragged breaths before continuing.
"You're both men. Don't you understand? Without a son, how am I supposed to carry on the family line? Who'll keep the ancestral flame burning?"
"You have no idea! I can't even hold my head up in this village because I don't have a son! What's wrong with borrowing my mom's womb now? She'll understand!"
"Who understands? I certainly don't." Lu Xingchen shook his head firmly. Listening to Li Tao's filth made him feel as though his ears had been sullied.
"No wonder you got upset too when I asked Wei Wenxu if he really thought he was an emperor. Turns out you really do think you're an emperor. You just have to have a son to inherit your throne, huh?"
Unable to stand any more of Li Tao's revolting, outrageous remarks, Lu Xingchen simply found a stinking rag used to clean the toilet and stuffed it into his mouth.
The world was finally quiet.
Lu Xingchen asked Wang Meng to lead him to the basement. Wang Meng shook her head. "We have to find the key before we can open the basement door. It's in Li Tao's room."
"Do you know where the key is?" Lu Xingchen asked.
Wang Meng nodded with a bitter smile. "I've been acting meek and submissive here because I wanted to gain Li Tao's trust and find a chance to escape with my aunt and daughter. Trying to please him always makes me uncomfortable, but it's worked very well."
"Don't worry," Lu Xingchen reassured her. "I'll take you all away this time. The light will drive out the darkness eventually."
The two of them retrieved the key and went to unlock the basement.
The door leading to the basement was in an extremely secluded corner of the backyard. Without a careful search, no one would have noticed it.
Li Tao's house was in the northeastern corner of the map, while the entrance to Tuanjie Village was in the southwestern corner.
To escape from the deepest part of Tuanjie Village, they would first have to cross the entire village while avoiding its ever-present eyes, then traverse a vast stretch of uninhabited mountains. Wang Meng would also have to bring the elderly Wang Xiuli and her infant daughter, who still needed feeding.
It was easy to imagine how, without outside help, their chances of escaping were slimmer than their chances of reaching heaven.
And that was with no way to bring food or water, and with the villagers discovering and pursuing them.
Tuanjie Village-Unity Village. What a name. How utterly ironic.
Only after passing through a long, dark passage did they find the place where Wang Xiuli was being held.
When the door opened, Lu Xingchen noticed a frail old woman lying weakly on a bed made from several wooden planks joined together, illuminated by the dim candlelight.
The basement was cramped, with no ventilation or place to use the toilet, leaving all kinds of foul odors mingling in the air. Lu Xingchen instinctively fought back his nausea and covered his nose.
Tears filled Wang Meng's eyes as she rushed over. "Auntie! Auntie! Are you all right? We're saved! Someone's come to save us! I'm taking you out right now!"
Seeing this, Lu Xingchen hurried to the bedside and helped lift Wang Xiuli, who had already lost consciousness.
Lu Xingchen hoisted Wang Xiuli onto his back. He had only one thought: Auntie Wang had been tormented until she was far too thin and light.
Lu Xingchen could barely feel any weight on his back. Auntie Wang was as light as a feather, as though the wind could carry her away at any moment.
His nose stung and his eyes grew wet. An indescribable heaviness and distress filled his heart.
Those hateful human traffickers should all be shot.
For their own gain, they would stop at nothing to destroy someone's entire life, and an entire family along with it.
Carrying Wang Xiuli securely on his back, Lu Xingchen took her out of the basement and out of the prison that had trapped her for a lifetime.
The two settled Wang Xiuli in a clean room. Wang Meng tenderly wiped her body down while Lu Xingchen went to prepare something to eat and drink.
Huo Chuyun knocked Li Tao unconscious, found a sturdy rope to tie him up, and locked him in a room. Then he went downstairs to help Lu Xingchen prepare food in the kitchen.
Seeing that Lu Xingchen's nose was red, as though he had been crying, Huo Chuyun cast a casual glance at the cameraman.
The cameraman: ... Fine, fine, fine. You're both above it all. I'll leave.
As he left, the cameraman closed the kitchen door behind him and explained to the livestream viewers, "Xingchen accidentally got his clothes dirty. He needs to clean up."
[Even esteemed Banana Video members can't watch Xingxing change?]
[Why does that old geezer Huo get to stay inside?! I object!]
[Oh my god! Is the very first episode of Run Faster already this horrifying when you think about it?]
[I seriously never expected human trafficking. At first I thought it was domestic violence, and after listening to Li Tao's spiel, I even thought there was more to the story.]
[I've got goosebumps all over. That village's name is so ironic. Tuanjie Village? So you all unite to traffic women?]
[I can't even imagine how women trafficked into that place could escape.]
[They can't escape at all. Tuanjie Village is surrounded by uninhabited mountains, without even a single tree. Once the villagers notice, where could you hide? You could only be caught and dragged back in despair.]
[That's why girls these days need to assume the absolute worst of other people. When you're out, you have to be careful, careful, and even more careful!]
Huo Chuyun leaned in front of Lu Xingchen and gently pinched his cheek.
"Why were you crying, baby? If something's wrong, tell me. Don't bottle it up."
Lu Xingchen sniffled and gave him a sidelong look. "Huo Chuyun, you're calling me baby? I've noticed you've gotten pretty good at sweet-talking now that we're dating. Hmph."
"Then, baby, can you tell me what's wrong?" Huo Chuyun gently brushed the tears from the corners of Lu Xingchen's eyes. "It hurts so much to see you cry. I want to do something for you."
Lu Xingchen buried his face in Huo Chuyun's chest. "I just feel so sorry for them."
Huo Chuyun knew who Lu Xingchen meant by "them." He gently patted Lu Xingchen's back, encouraging him to continue.
"I feel so powerless. I want to help them, but it feels like there's nothing I can do."
"I'm so glad I became a celebrity. At least I have money. At least I can donate money to them..."
"What should I do? What else can I do, Huo Chuyun...?"
Huo Chuyun appreciated Lu Xingchen's kindness and could deeply understand his helplessness.
People were always like this. Seemingly powerful, they were actually no more than a grain in the vast ocean.
But in the long river of time, even a person as small as a drop of water held the ocean's boundless tidings.
"Taking part in this show is already the biggest contribution we can make for them. Not only can it warn other women to take precautions, but the show's popularity can also draw more attention from the higher-ups to this issue and lead to stronger crackdowns on trafficking and related crimes."
"Baby, aren't we going to make it to the end together? Once the game's over, we'll donate that money together."
Huo Chuyun kissed Lu Xingchen's earlobe and coaxed him softly.
Lu Xingchen felt comforted, and his fighting spirit surged at once. "Okay. Let's survive to the end together."
Before you continue